SEHE Chapter 152

Menstruation

When Pei Yanci went to discuss matters with the Minister of Revenue, it concerned the grain collection and household taxes from the people of Great Yu. Since the implementation of the Two-Tax Law last year, the people’s enthusiasm had greatly increased. The theater had even specially arranged a puppet show that cost only five wen per person to watch, using simple analogies to explain to the common people exactly what Great Yu’s tax collection policies were and that officials arbitrarily collecting taxes privately constituted corrupt behavior.

Previously, when Gu Jiuqing implemented the Two-Tax Law, considering that the Zheng family and some aristocratic families supported him, he had glossed over certain issues. He changed things, but didn’t change everything.

At first glance, the Two-Tax Law measures seemed excellent, but when the land annexation by powerful aristocrats and landlord gentry expanded further, whether it was the Rent-Labor-Tax system or the Two-Tax Law, the fundamental problem remained unsolved. The eventual collapse of the entire system was still inevitable, only delayed for some time.

This was the disadvantage of factional politics. When implementing a decree, the first consideration was always one’s own group’s interests, and only afterward did they ponder how to carve flowers out of this pile of shit.

Pei Yanci naturally intended to throw this pile of shit in Gu Jiuqing’s face.

After leaving the Ministry of Revenue office, he and Tangxi Zhui declined the Minister of Revenue’s evening invitation and boarded their carriage.

“Refusing Liu Yan’s invitation—do you have other arrangements for tonight?” Tangxi Zhui lazily yawned, like a languid cat.

“No, just going home for dinner.” Pei Yanci was half-reclined with his back and right elbow supporting him on the cushion, eyes closed, constantly analyzing the current situation in his mind, his face betraying no emotion.

In the past, his expressions were all performed. Now, without needing those expressions to accentuate his affability, one couldn’t read his joy or anger at all.

This was the true authority and dignity of someone in power.

Watching made one’s heart tremble involuntarily, unable to resist the urge to submit.

“What do you think of Gu Yisui as a person?” After a long while, he spoke.

Tangxi Zhui knelt at his feet, his gaze greedily licking at that face. Hearing the question, he spat out two words with disdain. “Stingy.”

Pei Yanci couldn’t help but laugh. He opened his eyes. “He’s used to hard times—no matter what happens, money is the first thing he thinks about.”

A hand reached in from outside the curtain, passing a thin bamboo tube to Tangxi Zhui.

“What happened?”

“Your stingy little Emperor has started throwing his weight around.” Tangxi Zhui handed him the paper slip from the bamboo tube. “He complains you’re asking for too much money, but doesn’t say the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet costs too much.”

“From a minor household, his experience is shallow after all. The late Emperor was obsessed with longevity and Daoist arts, so naturally he received far less discipline and proper instruction than other princes.”

Pei Yanci recalled his cautious manner when looking at him, saying, “He’d better not have any other schemes.”

“There’s a Li Ren’an by his side. When the late Emperor was alive, he was still Cui Ya’s man.” Tangxi Zhui leaned close to his ear, speaking softly. “Should we have the Elu Bureau replace him?”

Pei Yanci immediately felt his lower back ache faintly. “You tormented me hard last night—we absolutely can’t do that again today.”

Tangxi Zhui moved back some distance, his face full of righteous indignation. “What improper thoughts are you having? I’m talking serious business with you, and you’re actually trying to bribe the Chief Overseer of the Elu Bureau with your body?”

Pei Yanci’s mouth twitched. “Can you have some shame?”

Nine times out of ten when asked to do something, he demanded physical compensation—even black markets weren’t this black.

Also, that righteous expression really didn’t suit him.

“You’d better maintain this righteous look and refuse when you’re in my bed too.”

Tangxi Zhui lay down on the carpet, his arm occupying Pei Yanci’s space, stretching languidly. His eyes brimmed with alluring redness, seductively enticing as his slender fingers hooked at his collar, slowly pulling it open.

If he couldn’t go to the mountain, the mountain could come to him.

Pei Yanci threw the cushion beside him at his face.

Accompanying Tangxi Zhui’s exaggerated wail was his delighted low laughter.

“Pei Yanci!”

“My apologies, my hand slipped. Please spare this one’s life, Dugong Daren.”

Pei Yanci had barely laughed twice when he was pounced upon and pinned down in the carriage.

By the time the carriage stopped at the Pei Manor gate, he had been thoroughly tormented—his lips somewhat swollen, glistening with moisture.

“You’re sleeping in the study tonight. This is absolutely outrageous, a subordinate attacking his superior.” Pei Yanci’s voice was hoarse, his finger pointing vaguely at Tangxi Zhui’s nose.

“You’re being completely unreasonable.” Tangxi Zhui caught his fingertip with his nose like a puppy, smiling. “You’re a fourth-rank civil official, I’m a first-rank prince with a different surname. Who exactly is the subordinate attacking his superior?”

Pei Yanci wouldn’t listen, coldly warning, “You’re not allowed to climb through the window in the middle of the night.”

“I’ve explained several times already—it was clearly sleepwalking.” Tangxi Zhui looked aggrieved.

“Xiao Pei’er?”

“Xiao Pei’er, I’m worried you’ll be cold!”

“Get lost.” Pei Yanci quickened his pace and rushed into the manor.

Tangxi Zhui clung to the doorframe, watching until his figure disappeared. The smile on his face suddenly vanished without warning.

He beckoned toward the back of his head.

“Dugong Daren.” Shuangjiang, like a folding blade, knelt silently by the carriage on the ground.

“How is Gu Jiuqing’s situation?”

“His spirits are low, still drowning his sorrows in alcohol.”

“Who’s currently in charge of Li Ren’an?”

“This subordinate.”

“Tell him to have the little Emperor invite the princes from various regions to come to the capital together. At the same time, spread rumors in advance that Pei Yanci is using the Emperor to command the princes and intends to covet imperial power.”

In a flash, the figure disappeared.

Tangxi Zhui rotated the jade thumb ring embedded with rubies in his hand, his gaze involuntarily turning to the hidden compartment in the carriage.

There, was a skull.

The princes from various regions were no easy prey.

Thinking this, Tangxi Zhui laughed softly with delight.

Fight, fight—let them all fight. This filthy world should have been destroyed long ago.

****

On this end, Pei Yanci had just entered when he saw Madam Wu carrying a basin of chilled sour plum soup, inviting him inside to eat.

“Brother Zhaohui, you’re here too.”

“Mm.” Wang Lingche’s deathly pale face finally showed a hint of a smile when he saw him, as if returning to the past. “I’ll be moving back to the Wang family residence tomorrow.”

Pei Yanci sat beside him, surprised. “So sudden?”

“Only after losing them do you realize how precious family is. I should spend more time with them in my remaining days.”

Wang Lingche drank a mouthful of hot soup, sighing. “I’ve really troubled you all for the past half year.”

“Not at all.” Pei Yanci clinked wine cups with him. “Come to Pei Manor often in the future. Wuli, Wushu, and I—we’re all your good brothers.”

“Brother Pei, I knew you treat me the best.” Wang Lingche sniffled, so moved he pulled him into an embrace.

Pei Yanci hadn’t expected him to start acting foolishly again. He perfunctorily patted his shoulder. “If you need anything in the future, just come find me.”

Tangxi Zhui had just entered the room when he saw this scene.

Wushu immediately began coughing urgently.

Only then did Pei Yanci see the person at the door and separated from Wang Lingche, rubbing his nose.

“Am I interrupting you two?” Tangxi Zhui’s gaze swept over both of them. “It’s my lack of tact—how could someone who can only sleep in the study manage the master’s new favorite?”

“Stop being so passive-aggressive here.” Pei Yanci’s warning squeezed out from between his teeth.

Tangxi Zhui sat beside him, tilting his head, his mouth opening and closing as he bargained in a low voice. “I won’t sleep in the study tonight.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

He really should teach this fellow who kept pushing his luck a lesson.

“Oh?” Tangxi Zhui’s tone rose, raising an eyebrow at him.

Pei Yanci’s brow jumped uneasily.

“Nine-Thousand-Years has misunderstood. I’ve always regarded Brother Pei as a younger brother, and Brother Pei has always treated me as an older brother.” Wang Lingche hastily explained, and as he spoke, his face flushed red. “It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of—you’ve misunderstood.”

“Older brother and younger brother, is it?” Tangxi Zhui poured himself a cup of tea, speaking in a tone of triple sighs. “Brothers in their twenties can intimately embrace each other—such enviable fraternal affection between those not sharing father or mother. Poor me, nearly thirty years old, still worrying about where I’ll sleep tonight. Living under another’s roof, reading others’ expressions—who knows when this will end.”

“Was it me who confiscated your Chief Overseer’s mansion? Was it me who didn’t let you move back?!” Pei Yanci ground his teeth.

Acting pathetic again.

“I was just too excited, that’s why I embraced Brother Pei. There’s really nothing between us—please don’t take it to heart.” Wang Lingche spoke, then looked at Pei Yanci. “Brother Pei, help me explain. I didn’t know your bed companion had such a narrow mind—I’m afraid he’ll secretly have me killed if he gets unhappy.”

“It’s fine, he’s just like that, joking with you.”

“Oh?” Tangxi Zhui drew out his tone again. “So this…bed companion is ‘just like that’ in your eyes?”

“Don’t I know you well enough?” Pei Yanci picked up a piece of food for him with his chopsticks. “I give up. Tonight the study door will be locked tight—no one is allowed to enter.”

Tangxi Zhui was immediately appeased, sitting up straight with renewed energy. “Xiao Pei’er has worked hard—quickly eat some ribs to replenish yourself.”

“You know I’ve worked hard.” Pei Yanci snorted coldly.

The two unconsciously pressed their heads together again, whispering about who knows what, and from time to time one could see Pei Yanci’s suppressed smile creeping onto his face.

While Pei Yanci was eating from his bowl, Tangxi Zhui suddenly raised his head and, across Pei Yanci, shot Wang Lingche a mocking look with the air of a victor.

Such petty tricks were laughably naive.

Wang Lingche’s expression stiffened, but in just an instant, he assumed a bewildered look again.

After giving him a contemptuous glance, Tangxi Zhui couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and continued serving food to Pei Yanci.

He’d seen plenty of such low-class, childish tactics.

Wang Lingche said nothing more, only the veins on his hand gripping the chopsticks bulged.

****

After finishing dinner, Pei Yanci dragged the reluctant Tangxi Zhui for several circuits around the back garden to aid digestion. Only when it grew late did they return to the room.

When Tangxi Zhui emerged with water droplets still clinging to the ends of his hair, he happened to see Pei Yanci leaving with a jade pillow and nightclothes.

“Didn’t you say to let me sleep in the bedroom?”

“Right, you sleep there.”

“Isn’t the study locked? Where are you going?” Tangxi Zhui’s face fell.

“I’m going to sleep in the pavilion—it’s cooler there.”

With that, ignoring how the person behind him called out, Pei Yanci strode quickly toward the back garden.

The servants had long since lit mosquito-repelling incense, laid out clean cushions and toon grass mats, set up a low couch, placed a wicker rocking chair, tea table, teapot and cups, and hung sachets and gauze curtains all around the pavilion. The gentle breeze from the lake surface felt almost cold.

He called for an attendant to fetch a thicker blanket from inside.

As he rocked in the chair, using the white bone gauze fan he’d appropriated from Tangxi Zhui, reading by lantern light, sobbing sounds came from outside the pavilion, particularly eerie in the gathering night.

Pei Yanci lifted the gauze curtain and saw someone huddled near the artificial mountain not far away.

“Wushu?”

The child raised his head, panic flashing across his face, about to flee.

“Come here.” Pei Yanci’s tone brooked no refusal.

Wushu feared this version of Big Brother Pei and could only shuffle hesitantly toward the pavilion.

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“Big Brother,” the grievance in Wushu’s heart could no longer be contained, rising from his throat as tears completely broke through. “I’m about to die and you’re still being mean to me.”

“…”

Pei Yanci sighed and walked out of the pavilion, embracing the person.

“Even if the sky falls, your big brother will hold it up. What do you have to fear?”

Drawing closer, he smelled an odd odor on the person.

Turning to look at the back, the dark robe bore spots of blood.

Seeing he’d noticed, Wushu stopped hiding it.

“After bathing this evening, my stomach hurt. I thought it was just—just from eating too much ice, but I didn’t expect so much blood to flow wuuwuuwuu… I can’t even find the wound. Big Brother, did political enemies poison us? Wuuwuuwuu I’m going to die, what should I do…”

Pei Yanci looked at him strangely. “Didn’t your mother tell you?”

“Tell me what? She’s frail—I didn’t dare tell her, afraid she couldn’t bear it.” Wushu sniffled. “After I die, can you tell her then?”

“You’ve started menstruating.”

“Hm?” Wushu was crying with teary, blurred eyes, not quite processing.

“But isn’t that only for girls…” He covered his mouth.

“Big—Big Brother, you knew all along?”

That she was a girl, not a boy.

“I knew from the very beginning.” Pei Yanci sighed, removing his outer robe to tie around her waist. “Come on, let me take you back to your room. Girls are quite delicate when menstruating—we can’t have you catching cold from this lake breeze.”

Thinking about it, her age seemed about right, yet she ate so much ice. That mother of hers, Madam Wu, really wasn’t being careful.

Wushu obediently followed him, wanting to hold his hand, but Pei Yanci refused.

She sensed Pei Yanci’s distance from her and felt somewhat dejected. Embarrassed by the farce she’d just caused, she tugged at the robe around her waist and asked, “Big Brother, how did you know? Mother and I kept it hidden well—even Steward Yue doesn’t know about this.”

“The second day after I hit my head, you came to see me and told me how you and your mother came to the manor, remember?” Pei Yanci shook his head. “If you were male, those people in your clan wouldn’t have bullied you and your mother so harshly, nor would they have expelled you from the family registry and driven you out.”

Even if some relatives were confused and wanted to covet that bit of property and land, there would be clan elders to uphold justice—they wouldn’t have treated the only remaining bloodline of a clan branch so ruthlessly.

But having a daughter was different.

Wushu said despondently, “Mother and I didn’t mean to deceive you and Brother Wuli. On the road there were many bad people—disguising as a boy was safer. Later the human trafficker didn’t really check. I originally wanted to reveal my identity when being sold, but at the time Chief Steward Zhang of the Crown Prince’s Mansion only accepted boys. I didn’t want to be separated from Mother, so I had to keep pretending to be male.”

“I know.” Pei Yanci didn’t mind. “So in the future, do you want to continue pretending to be male or restore your female identity?”

Wushu couldn’t decide, asking, “If I’m female, can I still attend the Imperial Academy?”

Pei Yanci stopped walking. Under her gaze full of longing, he shook his head.

He patted the young girl’s head. Without realizing it, she’d grown from chest height to chin height—she could no longer be called a child.

No wonder Wushu was always so insistent on correcting what he and Wuli said.

“You know that in Great Yu, academies only accept males.” He said. “Perhaps one day, through your and my efforts, girls will also be able to gather with friends and attend academy lectures together. But right now, if you want to study, I’ll hire some tutors for you.”

“Or,” he suddenly thought of a good idea, “would you like to go to the palace and study together with His Majesty?”

“But then I won’t be able to see Brother Xu Du.” Wushu was conflicted, but sensing that Big Brother Pei bringing up entering the palace must have some other purpose.

“That’s not impossible either. I’ll listen to Big Brother.”

“Big Brother, what’s wrong?”

Wushu was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders, looking bewildered.

“First explain to me clearly what’s going on between you and Xu Du.”

Xu Du? And calling him ‘brother’?

Pei Yanci felt like his tender, precious cabbage was about to be rooted up by a pig.